1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to smoke detectors. More particularly, this invention relates to a smoke detector having remote testing, shutoff and powering means.
2. Description of the Related Art
The majority of American households are today fitted with smoke detectors of one type or another. The most simple of such detectors are units that contain some type of sensor that detects the presence of smoke in the vicinity of the unit, a noise- and/or light-generating alarm device that is activated by the sensor, and some type of contact that allows one to check on the general operating condition of the unit. These units may be battery powered or may operate on AC power lines with a battery backup.
To be effective and provide the earliest-possible warning of a fire situation in a dwelling, these units are generally mounted on a dwelling's ceiling and in a passage, hallway, staircase or the like, in a location where there is most likely to be a partial airflow; so that if a fire does occur, smoke will be monitored by the smoke detector, and an alarm given.
The location of such a ceiling-mounted detector often presents a significant problem associated with the difficulty that one encounters in having to climb up to the detector. The reasons why one would climb up to the detector are many, and include: for the purpose of pushing the detector's operating condition test button, replacing a battery or shutting-off the detector after it has gone off due to a false signal. Such false signals often occur when one is cooking or lights a fireplace in the dwelling.
To avoid having to climb up to such detectors, a number of inventions have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,314 discloses a smoke detector having a remote unit with a means for temporarily shutting off the detector, including an incorporated timer which returns power to the detector after a set period of time, and a battery coupling means which allows the detector's battery to be mounted at the remote unit. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,530 discloses a switching device and an electrical circuit suitable for providing remote shutoff capabilities. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,336 discloses how such remote temporary shutoff capabilities can be achieved with wireless, radio frequency communications.
Despite this prior art, one finds most household still utilizing smoke detectors that do not have remote capabilities. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved smoke detector having sufficient remote capabilities so as to enable it to be accepted by and used in most households, thereby eliminating the problems associated with having one climb up to a ceiling-mounted detector that does not have remote features.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved smoke detector that facilitates the operations of shutting-off detector alarms, the testing of the operating condition of the detector, and the changing of a detector's battery.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a remote unit that allows a conventional smoke detector to be retrofitted so as to provide it with remote testing, shutoff and powering means.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description that follows.